The flexibility of German word order opens up expressive possibilities that are unimaginable in English. As a result, a German writer or speaker can emphasise key ideas in dramatic and memorable ways. Nevertheless, there are rules: the first and most important one is about the position of the verb.
The anchor of the German sentence is the conjugated verb in the second position. Once the conjugated verb is moored in place, the rest of the sentence can flow around it, freed from the constraints of English word order.
Sandwiching the Verb Between the 1st and 3rd Positions
As the examples above show, the positions of the subject and the adverb are often interchangeable. They frequently inhabit the first and third positions, with the verbsandwiched between them.
In contrast to English, a subject and an adverbcannot appear together at the start of a German sentence. The verb must be placed in between and no comma is required. In fact, since German comma rules are far more exact and prescriptive than those of English, a comma is simply wrong.
❌ Leider, die Partywar ein glatter Reinfall.The comma must be deleted and the verb inserted between the adverb and the subject, as in the correct examples below:
✅ Leiderwardie Party ein glatter Reinfall. ⇢ Unfortunately, the party was a total flop.
✅ Die Partywarleider ein glatter Reinfall. ⇢ The party was unfortunately a total flop.
This unit guides learners towards introducing themselves and describing their origins in German. It covers regular verb conjugation in a simple way and provides practice with verbs such as wohnen (to live) and kommen (to come). There are also exercises related to the irregular verbhaben (to have).
For a more challenging version of this unit, intended for fast learners, an alternative booklet as well as additional but related activities are available on this page.
These are question and answer flashcards. The first side has a greeting or question and the second side has an appropriate answer. The flashcards will “speak” if you click on the tiny microphone above the cards. A printout of this conversation is also provided below.
This audio was kindly recorded by Linda Manteuffel.
Read the text while you listen:
Hallo! Mein Name ist Phoebe und ich komme aus Neuseeland. Meine Eltern kommen aus England. Natürlich spreche ich Englisch, genau wie die Kinder in Australien. Meine beste Freundin heißt Sophie. Sie kommt aus China. Woher kommst du?
Ich wohne auf dem Land. Das finde ich super, denn ich liebe Tiere. Ich habe mein eigenes Pferd!
English Translation: Hello! My name is Phoebe and I come from New Zealand. My parents come from England. Of course I speak English, just like the children in Australia. My best friend is called Sophie. She comes from China. Where do you come from?
I live in the country. I think that’s wonderful, because I love animals. I have my own horse!
This is a unit of work for beginner learners who are starting high school German. I wrote it in 2017 and updated it in 2022, improving the downloadable unit booklet and adding two quizzes and a Kahoot. The audio files were kindly recorded by Anthony Jäckisch, a gifted and charismatic young teacher with a melodious voice.
↑A tribute to Jacinda Ardern, a woman of integrity, honour and kindness:It has been a pure pleasure to live in a nearby countrywhile Jacinda Ardern was the Prime Minister of New Zealand. I always hoped that her empathy, decency and humanity would rub off on our politicians in Australia. I wish her the very best for the next phase of her life.
This quiz can be played with your class or in a small group of friends. It includes introductory questions about noun genders, German numbers and simple introductory sentences.
This quiz provides practice with essential nouns, the concept of gender, subject pronouns and the conjugation of sein – to be. The last question includes a simple audio text with a fill-the-blank exercise.
These nine essential prepositions are always followed by the dative case. The example sentences below clarify their meaning and illustrate their usage. Click on each preposition in the list to jump to its description:
Die Familie hat ein kleines Haus bei Berlin. ⇢ The family has a small house near Berlin.
Ich habe die Schokolade bei Woolworth gekauft. ⇢ I bought the chocolates at Woolworths.
Sie wohnt noch beiihrerFamilie, weil die Mietkosten sehr hoch sind. ⇢ She still lives with her family because the cost of renting is so high.
BeiSonnenaufgang bin ich aufgewacht und spazieren gegangen. ⇢ I woke up at sunrise and went for a walk.
Beiuns in Australien ist es üblich, andere Menschen mit dem Vornamen anzusprechen. ⇢ It is commonly accepted in Australia to address one another by first names.
Bei schönem Wetter gehen wir oft zum Strand.⇢When the weather is fine, we often go to the beach.
Er arbeitet bei der Post. ⇢He works for the postal service.
Heute Abend gehen wir zueinerFreundin. Vielleicht werden wir beiihr übernachten. ⇢ This evening we are going to a girlfriend’s place. Perhaps we’ll sleep over at her place.
Der Frosch ist zu einem Prinzen geworden. ⇢ The frog turned into a prince.
•Wollen wir zuFuß hingehen? •Nein, wir nehmen das Auto. ⇢ •Shall we go on foot? •No, we’ll take the car.
Zu Weihnachten haben wir immer ein großes Familienfest. ⇢ We always have a big family party at Christmas.
Meine Mutter ist nicht zuHause. ⇢ My mother is not (at) home.
*Note the German use of the present tense with seitwhenever the action continues into the present. In English, the perfect tense is required in such cases.
Examples
Wir kennen uns seit ewig. ⇢ We’ve known each other for ages / for ever.
Seit zwei Jahren habe ich ihn nicht mehr gesehen. ⇢ I haven’t seen him for two years.
Ich lerne schon seit zehn Jahren Deutsch. ⇢ I have been learning German for ten years.
Muslime tragenseit dem Mittelalter zur europäischen Kultur und Wissenschaft bei. ⇢ Muslims have contributed to European culture and science since the Middle Ages.
Seit ihrer Kindheit sind die Mädchen enge Freundinnen. ⇢ The girls have been close friends since their childhood.
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